Now my social life is non-stop. Hevrah has great activities. We have visited other temples, gone bowling, played around at Pump it Up and even had concerts with Rick Recht & Craig Taubman. I got to attend Camp Ramah for 12 summers! My mom and dad tease me because I can walk into a restaurant in California... Read More »

A few years ago, our community lost a beloved leader, philanthropist, and mensch: Sam Rosenwald. Sam touched so many lives around him, particularly those of the young emerging leaders he took the time and care to mentor. Read More »

At our final 2014 Board meeting in December, I offered my perspective on the remarkable transformation of our Federation over the past five years. My thoughts were originally published on eJewish Philanthropy yesterday, and I am honored to share them with you today. Thank you for all you have done to make this possible. Your ongoing partnership... Read More »

As our Federation continues the process of transformation we began five years ago, we are more focused than ever on supporting and sustaining our Jewish community and ensuring the Jewish future we share, as we impact Jewish life in L.A., Israel and over 70 countries. Read More »

Thursday night. I’m out in Jerusalem on Ben Yehuda Street. My Birthright Israel LA Way group is busy dancing and unwinding at Tza’atzua (Toy Bar), purposely led there because it essentially also functions as a bomb shelter—safety is our number one priority. But I head off on my own for a bit, determined to do some personal shopping at my favorite store Mishkan and have my semi-annual mix-in frozen yogurt at Katzefet. Read More »

One of The Jewish Federation’s top priorities is engaging students and young adults in ways that are relevant, innovative and meaningful, in order to ensure a strong, vibrant Jewish future. That’s why we are thrilled to announce our 2014 Brawerman Fellows. Read More »

Last week marked my five-month anniversary of being in Berlin, which means I am about halfway through with my time here as part of our Federation’s Fishel Fellowship, which started with my journey to Mumbai. I’ve learned so much about German Jewry and have finally reached a point where I feel that I have an understanding of this diverse, thriving community. Read More »

A critical component of today’s Taglit-Birthright Israel trips is a mifgash (encounter) with Israeli peers. On most trips, Israeli soldiers and college students, ages 18-26 (depending on the age of the American participants on that bus), spend five days together with Americans. They travel together, form relationships, and experience a cross-cultural exchange that is part of what makes Taglit so impactful. Read More »

The New Year is in full swing, and we hope you’ve stuck with your resolutions so far. Whether you’re trying to get a handle on some love handles or simply do your part to change the world, we encourage you to make a resolution to get more involved with the Jewish community during 2014! Of course, “getting involved” means different things to different people. That’s why we have lots of upcoming choices for you. Read More »

As 2013 rapidly comes to an end, it’s common to reflect on the past 12 months and think about what we’ve all accomplished. What did we do? How did we make a difference? Could we have done more—and will we strive to do more next year?
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I have been thinking about the results of the Pew report for over decade. I understand that Pew didn’t release the results until last week, but these statistics and trends have been obvious to some in the Jewish community for a very long time. Read More »

After the High Holidays, a group of 14 LA Way Birthright Israel recent participants and madrichim (bus staff) gathered at the Jewish Federation, spending their Sunday sharing their Jewish identity journeys and forming the foundation for twelve months of Jewish leadership . Read More »

It’s Yom Kippur, and I’m sitting in a tiny Sephardic synagogue in Berlin. The service is conducted in German and Russian, so I have no idea what’s going on. The little old lady sitting next to me keeps poking me and saying things in Russian, and when I look confused, she laughs. Read More »

This summer, a diverse group of eleven young Angelenos experienced Israel as they never had before. Through a partnership between the Ayalim Association and The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, they helped build communities in the desert and formed relationships with Israel – as a place and as a people. Read More »

If I had to sum up my Federation journey in one word, it would be “reconnect.” Israel was a huge part of my identity growing up – I had gone twice, once with my mother and grandmother, who was a Holocaust survivor; and once to study in Jerusalem during high school. Read More »

Over the years, The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and Taglit-Birthright Israel have given the gift of a free trip to Israel to thousands of young L.A.-area Jews between the ages of 18 and 26. Our Federation’s unique LA Way trips provide added value to the typical Birthright Israel trip, as we bring together local participants for an experience that begins in Israel and continues with meaningful programming when they return home. Read More »

This year’s L’Dor V’Dor invitation brightened mailboxes across Los Angeles with a vibrant shade of pink and an exciting new logo, which perfectly complements the launch of our new D2: L’Dor V’Dor event for women of all generations—an entertaining brunch on October 1st featuring “The Hebrew Mamita!” Read More »

Taglit-Birthright Israel began in 1999 to serve as an intense, impactful Jewish experience that exposed young Jews to Israel and Judaism in a way that would make them crave more. But once Birthright Israel had increased the appetite of these hundreds of thousands of participants, what could the American Jewish community provide— locally and globally—that would satisfy them? Read More »

So far, the Ayalim program is a lot better than I expected. The staff is incredible and all of the participants are friendly and fun to be around with. Our tour guide, Eran, is very knowledgeable about Israel’s present and future challenges for those living outside of the major population centers. He did a good job in sparking my interest in learning more about the Jewish state Read More »